Pigeons Playing Ping Pong rounded up another sold-out Saturday night show last night at the Ogden Theatre for night two during their three-night Denver run.
After a funk-filled first night on Friday with lespecial and some hearty “Sunny Day Budder” dabs by EverBloom, Portland, OR-based trio Yak Attack took over the evening’s opening musical endeavors. Taking the stage at 9 p.m., the powerhouse trio rocked out for their hour-long set, resonating electronic loops over backbeats of elemental progressive jams.
Taking back to the stage from the previous night at 10:30 p.m, Greg Ormont, Ben Carrey, Jeremy Schon, and Alex Petropulos started into a 10-minute “Too Long” since it was obvious the flock had waited too long to see them since the night before. The crowd layed down their most provoking dance moves and sang along to the whirling “Somethin’ For Ya” jam, before the guys took us on a psychedelic journey in “Porcupine”. Their new lyrical and quick, beat-changing “Paperboy” saw its Colorado debut and seventh time ever played since its original debut at the band’s 10th annual Domefest in May, Ormont hinting of the song’s official release with their forthcoming album release at the top of 2020. Schon took us on a psychedelic rollercoaster in “King Kong”, Manny Newman in full effect of tripping out the venue with bursts of light and aligning with Petropulos’ percussion crescendo that Carrey took over with a bass solo.
A beachy “Julia” sandwich was dished out to round out the bulk of the remaining first set, slipping in their second cover ever of Talking Heads’ “Nothing But Flowers” that first saw the band’s funky rendition at PlayStation Theater during their Halloween “Stop Making Cake” run. The guys layed down the sultry funky rhythms in “Bad For You”, Petropulos leading the band on a slowed melody breakdown before Ormont lead the crowd in an improvised vocal harmonization for a quick break in-between the set’s closing song, “Doc”.
A quick setbreak flashed by, and the guys returned to the stage, Ormont starting into a “musical banter” to warm up the night’s quirky energy and started into “Burning Up My Time”. A sonic “Offshoot” sequence dived the crowd deeper into the psychedelic realms, but the band didn’t allow us to slip too far in by bringing us back with the high-energied cover of Red Hot Chili Peppers’ “Otherside”. The band took the take on an extended jam and brought back on the frenzied melody of “Offshoot”, before starting in the opening chords of “High As Five”, leading the crowd in neighborly high-fives and forehead slaps.
“Offshoot”
[Video: Live For Live Music]
The energy within the walls of the venue radiated throughout the room, and Ormont shared the moment in celebrating the hard work of their team and the musical successes of the band, Schon soothing our souls with gentle chords and starting into the happy opening melody of “Horizon”. The surreality of the weekend kicked in as the guys tranced and uplifted everyone’s souls and the venue celebrated the people they love. The high spirits were taken in the deep depths of a dark “Sunny Day” jam, Carrey putting down the deep bass grooves as the basework of the tune under Schon’s slow and dark guitar chords. Not letting us get too far in, Ormont fronted their silly “The Liquid”, which included the hot jazz breakdown led by Petropulos and Schon. The band finished off the second night with their instrumental “Schwanthem” jam.
The guys treated the second night’s sold-out crowd to a two-song encore, trancing the flock with the soothing lyrics in “Su Casa” dazzled with Newman’s awe-inspiring lights. The night couldn’t be complete without a full dose of finishing funk, as “Fun In Funk” marked the end of the night.
Below, you can view a full gallery’s worth of last night’s show courtesy of photographer Kendall McCargo.
Setlist: Pigeons Playing Ping Pong | Ogden Theatre | Denver, CO | 11/16/2019
Set One: Too Long, Somethin For Ya, Porcupine, Paperboy, King Kong, Julia > Nothing But Flowers > Julia, Bad For You, Doc
Set Two: Burning Up My Time, Offshoot > Otherside > Offshoot, High As Five, Horizon, Sunny Day, The Liquid, Schwanthem
Encore: Su Casa, Funk In Funk